System and mothod to obtain content and generate modified content based on time limited content information

ABSTRACT

A method includes receiving, at a server, a first content item and a second content item from a content source. The first content item is distinct from the second content item. The method includes generating, at the server, a modified content item by combining a first portion of the first content item and a second portion of the second content item. The method includes initiating transmission of the modified content from the server to a first device. The method also includes, after a first portion of the modified content item is transmitted, initiating transmission of a second portion of the modified content item from the server to a second device distinct from the first device. The second portion is subsequent to the first portion in a playback order of the modified content item.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application is a continuation application of, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/120,518, filed Sep. 4, 2018, which is acontinuation application of, U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/280,310, filed May 16, 2014 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,091,551), which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/577,874, filedOct. 13, 2009 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,769,560), each of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is generally related to obtaining content andgenerating modified content based on time limited content consumptioninformation.

BACKGROUND

Television is frequently used as a passive medium. Viewers that areinterested in viewing news programming, weather programming, trafficprogramming, and other programming often have a television turned on inthe background as they do other things, such as preparing breakfast,packing lunches, and carrying out other activities. As a result, viewersoften pay attention to programming only when content of interest to theviewer is presented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first particular embodiment of a systemto obtain content and generate modified content based on time limitedcontent consumption information;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a second particular embodiment of a systemto obtain content and generate modified content based on time limitedcontent consumption information;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a third particular embodiment of a systemto obtain content and generate modified content based on time limitedcontent consumption information;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a first particular embodiment of a method toobtain content and generate modified content based on a time limitedcontent consumption information;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a second particular embodiment of a methodto obtain content and generate modified content based on time limitedcontent consumption information;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a third particular embodiment of a method toobtain content and generate modified content based on time limitedcontent consumption information; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a generalcomputer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods for obtaining content and generating modifiedcontent based on time limited content consumption information aredisclosed. The disclosed systems and methods may enable a provider ofmultimedia content to obtain and modify content on behalf of a targetconsumer. The content may be obtained based on predefined preferencesthat identify content that is of interest to the target consumer. Thecontent may be modified based on time limited content consumptioninformation related to the target consumer, thereby producing modifiedcontent. The time limited content consumption information of the targetconsumer may be determined based on input from the target consumer. Thetime limited content consumption information may also be inferred basedon information extracted from the content information received fromexternal sources, such as a calendar of an electronic device of theconsumer, or by any combination thereof. The modified content maysubsequently be delivered to the target consumer via one or moreelectronic devices associated with the target consumer.

In a first particular embodiment, a system includes an interface toobtain content on behalf of a target consumer. The system is configuredto modify the content to generate modified content. The modified contentis generated based on time limited content consumption information ofthe target consumer and the modified content is stored in memory of thesystem.

In a second particular embodiment, a method is disclosed that includesaccessing content to be delivered to a target consumer. The method alsoincludes receiving information associated with the target consumer thatindicates a time limited content consumption period. The method furtherincludes modifying the content based on the received information togenerate modified content stored in a computer memory prior totransmission.

In a third particular embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium isdisclosed that includes operational instructions that, when executed bya processor, cause the processor to obtain content on behalf of a targetconsumer. The instructions, when executed by the processor, furthercause the processor to modify the content based on time limited contentconsumption information associated with the target consumer to producemodified content and to send the modified content to a device associatedwith the target consumer for playback.

Referring to FIG. 1, a communication system 100 that includes a contentmodification system 130 responsive to a content source 102 is shown. Thecommunication system 100 also includes content 104 that is communicatedfrom the content source 102 to the content modification system 130. Thecontent modification system 130 includes an interface 106, a processor110, and a memory 114. The interface 106 is configured to receive orotherwise obtain the content 104 on behalf of a target consumer. Thememory 114 includes content modification computer code 116 and may storemodified content 118. The memory 114 may also store a time limitedcontent consumption state of a target consumer 120. The processor 110,which may be a computer processor or may be implemented as multiplecomputer processors, is programmed to modify the content 104 to generatethe modified content 112. The modified content 112 is generated by theprocessor 110 based on the time limited content consumption state of thetarget consumer 120. The modified content 112, upon being generated bythe processor 110, is stored within the memory 114 as illustrated inFIG. 1.

In a particular illustrative embodiment, the time limited consumptionstate 120 is determined based on a specified time limited contentconsumption time period. For example, the time limited contentconsumption state 120 may be classified as one of: a short duration thatis less than a first threshold, a moderate duration that is longer thanthe first threshold but shorter than a second threshold, or a longduration that is longer than the second threshold. For example, thefirst threshold may be fifteen minutes and the second threshold may betwo hours. In this particular example, the time limited contentconsumption state 120 may be classified as having a short duration ifthe time limited content consumption period of a target consumer is lessthan the first threshold (i.e. fifteen minutes). Further, the timelimited content consumption state 120 may be classified as a moderateduration if the time limited content consumption period is greater thanthe first threshold (i.e. fifteen minutes) and less than the secondthreshold (i.e. two hours). Further, the time limited contentconsumption state 120 may be identified or otherwise classified as along duration when the time limited content consumption period isgreater than the second threshold (i.e. two hours).

The time limited content consumption period is received by or otherwisedetermined by the processor 110 of the content modification system 130.For example, the processor 110 may determine or estimate a time periodin which a consumer of the received content 104 is likely to beavailable to view or otherwise consume the content 104. As an example,the content 104 may include traffic or weather information and based oneither metadata within the content 104 or based on a processing rulewithin the processor 110, the content 104 is evaluated and an estimatedtime of availability for a consumer to view or use the content 104 maybe determined. Alternatively, a user may provide input to the contentmodification system 130 that specifies a content consumption time periodfor the particular user. For example, a target consumer may provide userinput indicating that the target consumer is available to consumecontent for the next ten minutes. Thus, the time limited contentconsumption state may be determined based on a time limited contentconsumption period that may be based on a specific period of timedetermined from user input or estimated without direct user input.

In a particular illustrative embodiment, the content modification system130 is an element of a data communication network. For example, thecontent modification system 130 may be integrated within a server of anInternet Protocol Television (IPTV) system. Thus, the contentmodification system 130 may be a component within a network element ofan IPTV system. Other data communication systems and servers may also beused for deployment of the content modification system 130. For example,the content modification system 130 may be deployed within a headend ofa cable television system (CATV). Similarly, the content modificationsystem 130 may be deployed in one or more elements of other networks,such as a satellite television network and similar broadcast networks.

Referring to FIG. 2, a particular illustrative embodiment of a datacommunication system 200 is shown. The communication system 200 includesa content modification system 250 and a content source 202. The contentmodification system 250 has a content interface 210 to receive content206 from the content source 202. The content modification system 250also includes a user interface 209 to communicate with an end user, suchas the illustrated user 244 of a web portal interface accessible device246. The content modification system 250 communicates via a network toone or more media communication devices, such as the illustrated set-topbox 238. The data network between the content modification system 250and the set-top box 238 is illustrated as communication paths 228 inFIG. 2. The content modification system 250 also includes a networkinterface 226 for communication with the remotely located set-top box238 via the data communication paths 228 of a distribution network.

The content modification system 250 includes a processor 214 and amemory 218. The memory 218 includes one or more processor executableprograms, such as the illustrated content modification computer code220. The memory 218 also includes data that may be usable by theprocessor 214, such as, a content consumption state 222, a contentconsumption period 224, and information extracted from metadata 225.

The set-top box 238 is coupled to a display device 240 and has a networkinterface 230 that is coupled to receive and transmit data with respectto the content modification system 250. The network interface 230 iscoupled to the data communication paths 228. In a particular illustratedembodiment, the data communication paths 228 are part of an IPTV system.The set-top box 238 includes a processor 236 and a memory 234 thatcontains processor executable computer code 232.

During operation, the content modification system 250, via the userinterface 209, communicates over a computer network 242 to an end user244. For example, the user 244 of a web portal interface accessibledevice 246 (e.g., a personal computer or a smart phone) may communicatethe content consumption period 248 with respect to the particular user244. Thus, the user 244 via the web portal interface accessible device246 communicates the content consumption period 248 to the contentmodification system 250. The content modification system 250 stores thecontent consumption period 248 for the particular user 244 within thememory 218. Referring to FIG. 2, the content consumption period as thestored in the memory 218 is referred to as the consumption period 224.

The content consumption period 248 may be a specified period of time,such as a time period that is input by the user 244, in which the user244 is available to receive, view, or otherwise consume or utilizecontent that may be delivered by the content modification system 250 foruse by the user 244. For example, the user 244 may indicate via userinput that the user has a 15 minute time slot of availability to receiveand review traffic or weather related information. As another example,the user 244 may have a calendar program on an electronic device, andthe calendar program may automatically send the consumption period 248for multiple time windows of potential availability of the user 244 tothe content modification system 250. Alternatively, a softwareapplication that includes time or calendar type information may provideone or more availability time windows and based on a current time or auser environment, the web portal interface 246 may be used tocommunicate a specific content consumption time period 248 to thecontent modification system 250.

The processor 214 within the content modification system 250 may executecontent modification computer code 220 in order to process the receivedcontent consumption time period 248 stored as the consumption period 224within the memory 218. For example, the processor 218, upon executingthe content modification computer code 220, may determine a time limitedcontent consumption state 222 based on the consumption period 224. Forexample, the processor 214 may use one or more thresholds to classifythe consumption period 224 into one of a plurality of designated timeduration states. As a further example, the consumption state 222 mayhave a short duration, a long duration, an intermediate duration, oranother category of time duration associated with a content consumptiontime of the user 244. The processor 214, upon execution of anddetermination of the consumption period 224, generates and stores thetime limited content consumption state 222 in the memory 218.

During operation, the content modification system 250 receives content206 via a data communication network 204 from a content source 202. Forexample, the content 206 may include broadcast content, such as from abroadcast network provider, or the content 206 may include data from arepository such as a website or a media storage device. Data from thecontent source 202 is communicated over the data network 204 to providethe content 206 to the content modification system 250. The content 206also includes metadata associated with and characterizing the deliveredcontent 206. The content modification system 250, upon receiving thecontent 206, processes the content 206 at the processor 214 to generatemodified content 216 which is stored within the memory 218. As anexample, the processor 214 may process the received content 206 byevaluating the content with respect to a time limited consumption state222 or the consumption period 224 associated with the user 244. Forexample, if the content 206 includes a content segment that is lengthy(e.g., greater than two hours) and the content consumption state 222indicates that the user 244 has a short content consumption state (e.g.,less than fifteen minutes), the processor 214 may invoke one of aplurality of different filtering operations to reduce the time periodassociated with the received content segment of the received content206. For example, the processor 214 may truncate the content or mayprioritize the content 206 or a segment thereof in order to generatemodified content 216 that is time reduced compared to the receivedcontent 206. As another example, the processor 214 may modify thecontent by reordering the content, compressing the content, prioritizingthe content, altering the data format of the content, or otherwiseperforming and filtering or related operations with respect to thecontent 206 in order to generate modified content 216 that may beconsumed by or on behalf of the user 244 within the designatedconsumption period 224 or within a time period associated with theconsumption state 222, as appropriate. The modified content 216 isstored within the memory 218 for subsequent transmission to or on behalfof the user 244.

During operation, the modified content 216 may be retrieved from thememory 218 and communicated over the data communication network 228 tothe set-top box 238. The network interface 230 of the set-top box 238receives the modified content 216 and the modified content 216 is storedwithin memory 234. The processor 236 of the set-top box 238 may executecomputer code 232 to process and render media content to a displaydevice 240 based on the modified content 216. Thus, a user 244 may viewthe modified content 216 at the display device 240, and the modifiedcontent 216 is viewable or otherwise consumable by the user 244 within atime period that is preferred or has previously been specified by theuser 244, as indicated by the consumption period 224 or the consumptionstate 222 stored within the content modification system 250.

The content modification systems 130 and 250, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,support a wide variety of applications and functionality on behalf of auser of electronic devices that are capable of consuming media content.For example, the disclosed system 250 may support a “start my day”interactive application that delivers personalized content to a user,for example, via a STB 238 to a display device 240 such as the user'stelevision. The “start my day” application may deliver personalizedcontent to the user based on predefined user preferences provided by theuser which identify content that is of interest to the user. The “startmy day” application may also deliver personalized content to the userbased on content delivery preferences that identify the manner in whichthe user prefers to receive the content. Content delivery preferencesmay include, for example, a data format for the personalized content, apreferred device to receive the personalized content, and an order inwhich the content should be delivered. In addition to deliveringpersonalized content based on preferences provided by the user, the“start my day” application may be further configured to intelligentlyidentify content to be included in personalized content, generate alertsto transmit to the user, manage user profiles for a plurality of users,and carry out other operations to enhance the user's experience.

Referring to FIG. 2, the user 244 may utilize the web portal interfacedevice 246 to provide information identifying content of particularinterest to the user. For example, the user may indicate an interest inreceiving weather information, traffic information, a daily horoscope,current news headlines, and video clips from a particular show. The usermay also indicate an interest in receiving content from a particularsource, such as a particular television channel, a particular website,or a particular news service. The user may further indicate an interestin receiving content from user-specific sources, such as the user'semail account or a voicemail system associated with the user. Inaddition, the user may assign priorities to each content item ofinterest to the user as well as a delivery format for each item, such asaudio, video, audio-video, text, image, and any other appropriateformat.

The next day or at another day designated by the user 244, when the user244 turns on their television the user could make a selection to startthe “start my day” application using a remote control device. Uponinitiation of the “start my day” application, weather information,traffic information, a daily horoscope, current news headlines, videoclips from a particular show, and other content that the user hasidentified as being of interest to the user can be delivered to thetelevision. The content can be delivered in its original format or inanother format based on a user preference. For example, a user mayspecify that a daily horoscope is to be delivered in audio format. The“start my day” application may therefore retrieve horoscope content thatis in text format and deliver the horoscope content in audio formatthrough the use of a text to speech converter application located eitherat a client device of the user 244 or at a server of a service providernetwork. The “start my day” application may present all content ofinterest to the user in the order in which the content was received, ina predetermined order specified by the user, or according to prioritiesassigned by the user.

In addition to delivering content to the user based on informationprovided by the user that identifies content of particular interest tothe user, the “start my day” application may also personalize contentbased on additional information relating to the current state of theuser. Information relating to the current state of the user can include,for example, the current location of the user, the amount of time a useris available to receive content, and the devices available to the userfor receiving content, such as a television, a mobile device, or apersonal computer. Information relating to the current state of the usercan be used in conjunction with user preferences to personalize contentthat is delivered to the user. For example, the current location of theuser may be used to deliver relevant weather information for a user thatis away from their hometown on a business trip when the user hasindicated an interest in receiving weather information. The location ofa user may be learned by the “start my day” application in a variety ofways, including through direct input from the user, by examininginformation stored in a user's calendar, or through the use of GlobalPositioning System (GPS) data acquired by a GPS receiver at a user'sdevice.

The “start my day” application may further be configured to generatealerts for delivery to the user. Alerts may be generated, for example,based on scheduled reminders in the user's calendar, based on weatherinformation indicating that inclement weather is near the user, based ontraffic information indicating that a road is closed or that an accidenthas occurred near the user, or based on information indicating that theuser should no longer be viewing the content. The “start my day”application may determine that the user should no longer be viewing thecontent in a variety of ways, including based on the current time andthe user's schedule. For example, if the “start my day” applicationdetermines that the current time is 8:30 A.M., the user has a 30 minutecommute to work, and the user has a work meeting at 9 A.M., the “startmy day” application can generate an alert warning the user that the userneeds to leave home immediately in order to arrive at work in time forthe user's work meeting. The alert may include an audible warningselected from a library of alert sounds.

As another example, an application of a personal video carousel may bedeployed. In the carousel application, the user 244 may receive a dailyupdate of particular content matching their designated criteria. Anexample of the particular criteria includes, but is not limited to,content type, content length, or other particular information such as aparticular designated program. Based on the criteria, a servicesupported by the content modification system 250 may fetch the desiredinformation from various data sources, such as via content source 202,and may present a bundled or otherwise packaged display of informationdetermined to be relevant with respect to the criteria. As an example,the system may chose to retrieve snippets from video files withoutretrieving an entire video file. The content retrieval process may takeplace in the background so that results can be played back to the userat a specific time or on demand as requested. The background retrievaloperations can either identify a pointer to particular media or rendermedia files for display at a display device 240. The pointer or fileoptions are supported by a play back device, such as the set-top box238. Alternatively, or in addition, the background content retrievalroutine may optionally store requested information at a media storagedevice, such as at a digital video recorder (DVR) or other electronicdevice (e.g., a mobile phone).

Referring to FIG. 2, although only a single user 244 is depicted forpurposes of illustration, the content modification system 250 cansupport multiple users that receive modified content at multipledevices. For example, a plurality of users may create user profiles viaone or more web portal interfaces, such as the illustrated web portalinterface 246. Each user profile may include information that identifiestypes of content and sources of content that are of particular interestto the user. Each user profile may be stored in memory 218 at thecontent modification system 250 and utilized by the content modificationsystem 250 to deliver personalized modified content 216 that iscustomized for each of a plurality of users.

Supporting a multiuser environment could be carried out by prompting auser to provide the user's identity before content is accessed,modified, and delivered to the user. For example, a prompt may bedelivered to the user via the set-top box 238 for display at the displaydevice 240. The user may subsequently choose from a displayed list ofavailable user profiles. Upon receipt of the user's identity, thecontent modification system 250 can proceed with accessing content 206and producing modified content 216 for delivery to the identified userin accordance with information contained in the user profile associatedwith the identified user. Alternate methods to identify the user may beused, such as by use of the set-top box 238 or based on informationstored at a communication services provider.

In a particular illustrative embodiment, the content modification system250 is an element of a data communication network. For example, thecontent modification system 250 may be integrated within a server of anIPTV system. Thus, the content modification system 250 may be acomponent within a network element of an IPTV system. Other datacommunication systems and servers may also be used for deployment of thecontent modification system 250. For example, the content modificationsystem 250 may be deployed within a headend of a CATV system. Similarly,the content modification system 250 may be deployed in one or moreelements of other networks, such as a satellite television network andsimilar broadcast networks.

Referring to FIG. 3, an embodiment of a system to obtain content andgenerate modified content based on time limited content consumptioninformation is illustrated and generally designated 300. In theembodiment of FIG. 3, obtaining content and generating modified contentbased on time limited content consumption information is carried outusing an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) system. The embodiment ofFIG. 3 is included only for illustrative purposes. Readers willunderstand that the television system can be a cable television system,a satellite television system, or any other television system. Further,the embodiment of FIG. 3 describes only one possible implementation ofan IPTV television service. Readers will also understand that an IPTVtelevision service can be embodied in many other ways and that eachalternative embodiment is within the scope of the present invention.

As shown, the system 300 can include a content modification tier 302, aclient facing tier 322, an application tier 364, an acquisition tier352, and an operations and management tier 380. Each tier 302, 322, 352,364, and 380 can be coupled to a private network 350; to a publicnetwork 374, such as the Internet; to an access network 342; or to morethan one of the private network 350, the public network 374, and theaccess network 342. For example, the client-facing tier 322 can becoupled to the private network 350 and the access network 342. Thecontent modification tier 302 can be coupled to the access network 342.Further, the application tier 364 can be coupled to the private network350 and to the public network 374. The acquisition tier 352 can also becoupled to the private network 350 and to the public network 374.Additionally, the operations and management tier 380 can be coupled tothe public network 374.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the various tiers 302, 322, 352, 364, and 380may communicate with each other via the private network 350, the publicnetwork 374, and the access network 342. For instance, the client-facingtier 322 can communicate with the application tier 364 and theacquisition tier 352 via the private network 350. The contentmodification tier 302 can communicate with the client facing tier 322via the access network 342. The application tier 364 can communicatewith the acquisition tier 352 via the private network 350. Further, theapplication tier 364 can communicate with the acquisition tier 352 andthe operations and management tier 380 via the public network 374.Moreover, the acquisition tier 352 can communicate with the operationsand management tier 380 via the public network 374. In a particularembodiment, elements of the application tier 364, including but notlimited to a client gateway 366, can communicate directly with theclient-facing tier 322.

The client-facing tier 322 may communicate with user equipment via theaccess network 342, such as an IPTV access network. In an illustrativeembodiment, customer premises equipment (CPE) 340 can be coupled to alocal switch, router, or other device of the access network 342. Theclient-facing tier 322 can communicate with a representative set-top boxdevice 328 at a customer premise via the CPE 340. The CPE 340 caninclude routers, local area network devices, modems, such as digitalsubscriber line (DSL) modems, any other suitable devices forfacilitating communication between a set-top box device and the accessnetwork 342, or any combination thereof.

In a particular embodiment, the client-facing tier 322 can be coupled tothe CPE 340 via fiber optic cables. Alternatively, the CPE 340 caninclude DSL modems that are coupled to one or more network nodes viatwisted pairs, and the client-facing tier 322 can be coupled to thenetwork nodes via fiber-optic cables. The set-top box device 328 canprocess data received via the access network 342, via an IPTV softwareplatform.

The set-top box device 328 can be coupled to an external display device,such as a television monitor 312. Moreover, the set-top box device 328can communicate with a remote control 314 to receive user input 315. Theset-top box device 328 can include IPTV set-top box devices as well asvideo gaming devices or consoles that are adapted to receive IPTVcontent. The set-top box device 328 can also include personal computersor other computing devices that are adapted to emulate set-top boxdevice functionalities and any other device adapted to receive IPTVcontent and transmit data to an IPTV system via an access network.

In an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment, the set-top box device 328 canreceive data, video, or any combination thereof, from the client-facingtier 322 via the access network 342 and render or display the data,video, or any combination thereof, at the display device 312 to which itis coupled. In an illustrative embodiment, the set-top box device 328can include tuners that receive and decode television programmingsignals or packet streams for transmission of content to the displaydevice 312. Further, the set-top box device 328 can include a STBprocessor 330 and a STB memory device 326 that is accessible to the STBprocessor 330. In one embodiment, a computer program, such as the STBcomputer program 324, can be embedded within the STB memory device 326.In another illustrative embodiment, a user computing device, such as apersonal computer, laptop or local server, can be coupled to the set-topbox device 328, for example, via a universal serial bus (USB) connectionor other connection.

The set-top box device 328 may also be coupled to the client-facing tier322 via access network 342. The set-top box device 328 may receivemodified content 316 from the content modification tier 302 via theaccess network 342. The modified content 316 is generated by modifyingcontent that may be acquired via the acquisition tier 352, the privatenetwork 350, the public network 374, or from the STB memory device 326.Content may be acquired at the content modification tier 302 via theinterface 306. The content may be subsequently modified based on timelimited content consumption information. Modification of the content maybe carried out by a processor 305 and the modified content 316 may bestored in the memory 310 at the content modification tier 302.

In an illustrative embodiment, the client-facing tier 322 can include aclient-facing tier (CFT) switch 344 that manages communication betweenthe client-facing tier 322 and the access network 342 and between theclient-facing tier 322 and the private network 350. As illustrated, theCFT switch 344 is coupled to one or more data servers, such as D-servers334, that store, format, encode, replicate, or otherwise manipulate orprepare video content for communication from the client-facing tier 322to the set-top box device 328. The CFT switch 344 can also be coupled toa terminal server 346 that provides terminal devices with a connectionpoint to the private network 350. In a particular embodiment, the CFTswitch 344 can be coupled to a video-on-demand (VOD) server 348 thatstores or provides VOD content imported by the IPTV system 300.

Further, the CFT switch 344 is coupled to one or more video servers 332that receive video content and transmit the content to the set-top box328 via the access network 342. In a particular embodiment, the CFTswitch 344 can be coupled to one or more publication servers thatfacilitate the formation of groups that share private content and theinclusion of indicators of such private content with video contentreceived by users in a group.

In an illustrative embodiment, the client-facing tier 322 cancommunicate with a large number of set-top boxes, such as therepresentative set-top box 328 over a wide geographic area, such as aregional area, a metropolitan area, a viewing area, a designated marketarea or any other suitable geographic area, market area, or subscriberor customer group that can be supported by networking the client-facingtier 322 to numerous set-top box devices. In a particular embodiment,the CFT switch 344, or any portion thereof, can include a multicastrouter or switch that feeds one or more video streams from a videoserver to multiple set-top box devices.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the application tier 364 can communicate withboth the private network 350 and the public network 374. The applicationtier 364 can include a first application tier (APP) switch 370 and asecond APP switch 378. In a particular embodiment, the first APP switch370 can be coupled to the second APP switch 378. The first APP switch370 can be coupled to an application server 368 and to an OSS/BSSgateway 372. In a particular embodiment, the application server 368 canprovide applications to the set-top box device 328 via the accessnetwork 342, which enable the set-top box device 328 to providefunctions, such as display, messaging, processing of IPTV data and VODmaterial, etc. In a particular embodiment, the OSS/BSS gateway 372includes operation systems and support (OSS) data, as well as billingsystems and support (BSS) data. In one embodiment, the OSS/BSS gateway372 can provide or restrict access to an OSS/BSS server 386 that storesoperations and billing systems data.

The second APP switch 378 can be coupled to a domain controller 376 thatprovides Internet access, for example, to users at their computer 390 ormobile device 394 via the public network 374. For example, the domaincontroller 376 can provide remote Internet access to IPTV accountinformation, e-mail, personalized Internet services, or other onlineservices via the public network 374. In addition, the second APP switch378 can be coupled to a subscriber and system store 392 that includesaccount information, such as account information that is associated withusers who access the IPTV system 300 via the private network 350 or thepublic network 374. In an illustrative embodiment, the subscriber andsystem store 392 can store subscriber or customer data and createsubscriber or customer profiles that are associated with IP addresses ofcorresponding set-top box device 328.

In a particular embodiment, the application tier 364 can include aclient gateway 366 that communicates data directly to the client-facingtier 322. The client gateway 366 may be coupled directly to the CFTswitch 344. The client gateway 366 can provide user access to theprivate network 350 and the tiers coupled thereto. In an illustrativeembodiment, the set-top box device 328 can access the IPTV system 300via the access network 342, using information received from the clientgateway 366. User devices can access the client gateway 366 via theaccess network 342, and the client gateway 366 can allow such devices toaccess the private network 350 once the devices are authenticated orverified. Similarly, the client gateway 366 can prevent unauthorizeddevices, such as hacker computers or stolen set-top box devices fromaccessing the private network 350, by denying access to these devicesbeyond the access network 342.

For example, when the representative set-top box device 328 accesses theclient-facing tier 322 via the access network 342, the client gateway366 can verify subscriber information by communicating with thesubscriber and system store 392 via the private network 350. Further,the client gateway 366 can verify billing information and status bycommunicating with the OSS/BSS gateway 372 via the private network 350.In one embodiment, the OSS/BSS gateway 372 can transmit a query via thepublic network 374 to the OSS/BSS server 386. After the client gateway366 confirms subscriber and/or billing information, the client gateway366 can allow the set-top box device 328 to access IPTV content and VODcontent at the client-facing tier 322. If the client gateway 366 cannotverify subscriber information for the set-top box device 328, e.g.,because it is connected to an unauthorized twisted pair, the clientgateway 366 can block transmissions to and from the set-top box device328 beyond the access network 342.

As indicated in FIG. 3, the acquisition tier 352 can include anacquisition tier (AQT) switch 356 that communicates with the privatenetwork 350. The AQT switch 356 can also communicate with the operationsand management tier 380 via the public network 374. In a particularembodiment, the AQT switch 356 can be coupled to a live acquisitionserver 360 that receives or acquires television content, movie content,advertisement content, other video content, or any combination thereof,from a broadcast service 362, such as a satellite acquisition system orsatellite head-end office. In a particular embodiment, the liveacquisition server 352 can transmit content to the AQT switch 356, andthe AQT switch 356 can transmit the content to the CFT switch 344 viathe private network 350.

In an illustrative embodiment, content can be transmitted to theD-servers 334, where it can be encoded, formatted, stored, replicated,or otherwise manipulated and prepared for communication from the videoserver(s) 332 to the set-top box device 328. The CFT switch 344 canreceive content from the video server(s) 332 and communicate the contentto the CPE 340 via the access network 342. The set-top box device 328can receive the content via the CPE 340, and can transmit the content tothe television monitor 312. In an illustrative embodiment, video oraudio portions of the content can be streamed to the set-top box device328.

Further, the AQT switch 356 can be coupled to a video-on-demand importerserver 358 that receives and stores television or movie content receivedat the acquisition tier 352 and communicates the stored content to theVOD server 346 at the client-facing tier 322 via the private network350. Additionally, at the acquisition tier 352, the video-on-demand(VOD) importer server 358 can receive content from one or more VODsources outside the IPTV system 300, such as movie studios andprogrammers of non-live content. The VOD importer server 358 cantransmit the VOD content to the AQT switch 356, and the AQT switch 356,in turn, can communicate the material to the CFT switch 344 via theprivate network 350. The VOD content can be stored at one or moreservers, such as the VOD server 348.

When users issue requests for VOD content via the set-top box device328, the requests can be transmitted over the access network 342 to theVOD server 348, via the CFT switch 344. Upon receiving such requests,the VOD server 348 can retrieve the requested VOD content and transmitthe content to the set-top box device 328 across the access network 342,via the CFT switch 344. The set-top box device 328 can transmit the VODcontent to the television monitor 312. In an illustrative embodiment,video or audio portions of VOD content can be streamed to the set-topbox device 328.

FIG. 3 further illustrates that the operations and management tier 380can include an operations and management tier (OMT) switch 384 thatconducts communication between the operations and management tier 380and the public network 374. In the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 3, theOMT switch 384 is coupled to a TV2 server 382. Additionally, the OMTswitch 384 can be coupled to an OSS/BSS server 386 and to a simplenetwork management protocol (SNMP) monitor 388 that monitors networkdevices within or coupled to the IPTV system 300. In a particularembodiment, the OMT switch 384 can communicate with the AQT switch 356via the public network 374.

In an illustrative embodiment, the live acquisition server 330 cantransmit content to the AQT switch 356, and the AQT switch 356, in turn,can transmit the content to the OMT switch 384 via the public network374. In this embodiment, the OMT switch 384 can transmit the content tothe TV2 server 382 for display to users accessing the user interface atthe TV2 server 382. For example, a user can access the TV2 server 382using a personal computer (PC) 390 coupled to the public network 374.

It will be appreciated that the system 300 of FIG. 3 can take advantageof the benefits provided by an IPTV television service relative to othertelevision services. For example, the IP-based platform may provide theability to integrate television services with other IP-based servicessuch as high speed Internet access and VoIP telephone services.Furthermore, an IPTV television service may be less susceptible to lossof service issues that can arise during inclement weather relative toother television services such as a satellite television service ortelevision services that utilize traditional broadcast televisionsignals. As explained herein, the embodiment of FIG. 3 is included forillustrative purposes and in no way is intended to limit the scope ofthe present application.

Referring to FIG. 4, a particular embodiment of a method to obtaincontent and generate modified content based on a time limited contentconsumption information is illustrated. The method includes accessingcontent to be delivered to a target consumer, at 402. For example,referring to FIG. 2, the content 206 may be accessed by the contentmodification system 250 for delivery to a target consumer, such as theuser 244. The method further includes receiving information associatedwith the target consumer that indicates time based information, such as,a time limited content consumption period, as shown at 404. For example,referring to FIG. 2, the content modification system 250 may receiveinformation 225 that is extracted or otherwise derived from metadatawith the content 206 that indicates a time limited content consumptionperiod. Alternatively, the content modification system 250 may receiveinformation related to the time limited content consumption period 248directly via an end user interface device 246 of the user 244. Thus, themethod may receive time limited content consumption period informationeither directly from the user or indirectly by evaluating content ormetadata associated with the content received from a content source.

The method further includes modifying the received content based on thereceived information to generate modified content, as shown at 406. Forexample, referring to FIG. 2, the content modification system 250 maymodify the content 206 based on the time limited consumption period 224or the consumption state 222 and may filter the content 206 to generatemodified content that may be played back within a desired time period.The modified content is stored in a computer memory prior totransmission, as shown at 406. For example, referring to FIG. 2, theprocessor 214 may modify the content 206 using one or more filters orsimilar operations to generate modified content 216. The modifiedcontent 216 may be stored in the computer memory 216 prior to beingbroadcast to the set-top box 238. The method terminates, at 408.

In a particular embodiment, the information associated with the targetconsumer may include weather information, traffic information, flightinformation, a creation time of acquired content, or other informationcorrelated to or having a dependency upon time. Alternatively, or inaddition, the received information may be extracted from metadata ofreceived content or may be received via user input. In a particularillustrated embodiment, the method may receive information thatindicates or provides a basis to support a time limited contentconsumption period of a particular targeted user. The time limitedcontent consumption period may be determined or calculated based on acurrent time, information retrieved from a calendar application of anelectronic device of a user, or an amount of time required to performone or more tasks that impact the user's availability to view, use, orotherwise consume modified content. For example, if the current time is8:00 AM, and the calendar information indicates a meeting at 8:30 AM,and an application indicates a necessary preparation time of 15 minutesprior to the 8:30 AM meeting, the content may be modified based on atime limited content consumption period of no greater than 15 minutes.In this example, sourced content may be modified, such as prioritized ortruncated as necessary to have a size reduced or time reduced length sothat the content may be viewed or consumed within the designated timeinterval of 15 minutes. In addition, the playback speed for the modifiedcontent may be increased or decreased and portions of the modifiedcontent may be skipped. Thus, the playback period of the resultingmodified content may be less than the time limited content consumptionperiod and may be less than the original received content playback time.

Referring to FIG. 5, another particular embodiment of a method to obtaincontent and generate modified content based on time limited contentconsumption information is illustrated. The method includes accessingcontent to be delivered to a target consumer, as shown at 502. Forexample, referring to FIG. 2, content 206 from the content source 202may be accessed by the content modification system 250 for subsequentdelivery to the target consumer.

The method also includes receiving information that indicates a timelimited content consumption period that is determined based oninformation derived from user input from the target consumer, as shownat 504. User input of the target may be provided by a button press on aremote control, speech from the user, a response to a prompt deliveredto an electronic device associated with the targeted, and a response toa prompt delivered to the electronic device of the target consumer. Forexample, referring to FIG. 2, user input may be provided by a buttonpress on a remote control (not shown) for the set-top box 238.Furthermore, referring to FIG. 3, user input may be provided by speechreceived at a mobile device 394, or in response to a prompt delivered tothe mobile device 394 or a personal computer 390 accessible by a user.

The method further includes modifying the content based on receivedinformation to generate modified content, as shown at 506. The modifiedcontent is stored in a computer memory prior to transmission. Forexample, referring to FIG. 2, the modified content 216 is stored in thememory 218 of the content modification system 250. Modifying the contentmay include, for example, truncating the content, reordering thecontent, compressing the content, prioritizing the content, and alteringa data format of the content. Truncating the content may be carried outby transmitting only a portion of the original content to the user. Themethod terminates 508.

Referring to FIG. 6, a method to obtain content and generate modifiedcontent based on time limited content consumption information isillustrated. The method includes accessing content to be delivered to atarget consumer where the accessed content includes text, at 602. Forexample, referring to FIG. 2, content 206 may be accessed by the contentmodification system 250 and such content 206 may include text as part ofthe content 206.

The method includes receiving information associated with a targetconsumer that indicates a time limited consumption content period, asshown at 604. For example, referring to FIG. 2, information associatedwith a target consumer that indicates the time limited contentconsumption period 248 may be received from the user 244 at the contentmodification system 250.

The method further includes updating the consumption period based onreceived information, as shown at 606. The content consumption periodmay be updated periodically or at specified periods of time. Updatingthe consumption period may be carried out, for example, by receivinguser input indicating a new consumption period or by inferring a changein the consumption period from the content itself.

The method further includes modifying the content based on the receivedinformation to generate modified content, as shown at 608. The modifiedcontent may be stored in a computer memory prior to transmission to thetarget user. The modified content may also include audible cuesassociated with a particular portion of the modified content. Forexample, when a portion of the modified content that includes trafficinformation is about to be delivered to the target consumer, an audioclip of a car horn honking may be inserted as an audible cue. As afurther example, when a portion of the modified content that includesweather information is about to be delivered to the target consumer, anaudio clip of a thunderstorm may be inserted as an audible cue. Inaddition to including audible cues in the modified content, the modifiedcontent may also include audio overlays. The modified content maytherefore include audio content that is independent of video contentthat is delivered to a target consumer.

Modifying the content may also include a text to speech conversionoperation. Text to speech conversion may be carried out, for example, byreceiving a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) data feed from a sourceprovider and converting text contained in the feed to speech. The speechmay be subsequently delivered to the target user as an audio file. Forexample, referring to FIG. 2, an audio file representing speech from atext to speech converter may be played back at a speaker of the displaydevice 240 via the set-top box 238.

The method further includes sending the modified content to a firstelectronic device associated with the target consumer, as shown at 610.For example, referring to FIG. 2, the modified content 216 is sent tothe set-top box 238 and delivered to the display device 240. The displaydevice 240 may be a television and may be the first electronic deviceassociated with the target consumer.

The method further includes marking a portion of the modified contentfor delivery to a second electronic device associated with the targetconsumer, as shown at 612. For example, referring to FIG. 3, the mobiledevice 394, such as a smart phone or a cellular phone, or computer 390may be the second electronic device associated with the target consumer.Marking a portion of the content for delivery to the second computer maybe carried out in response to user input received via any of the otherelectronic devices associated with the target consumer.

The method also includes sending a marked portion of the modifiedcontent to the second electronic device associated with the targetconsumer, as shown at 614. For example, referring to FIG. 3, markedportions of the content may be delivered to the mobile device 392associated with the user. A user who is unable to view a particularmedia stream using an electronic device may have a selected portion(e.g. the unviewed portion) of the media stream delivered to a secondelectronic device, such as to a mobile device. The method terminates at616.

Referring to FIG. 7, an illustrative embodiment of a general computersystem is shown and is designated 700. The computer system 700 mayinclude content modification computer code 734 that can be executed tocause the computer system 700 to perform any one or more of the methodsor computer based functions disclosed herein. The computer system 700may operate as a standalone device or may be connected, e.g., using anetwork, to other computer systems or peripheral devices. For example,the computer system 700 may include or be included within the contentmodification systems 130, 250 as described with reference to FIGS. 1-2.The computer system 700 may also include or be included within thecontent modification tier as described with reference to FIG. 3.

In a networked deployment, the computer system 700 may operate in thecapacity of a server or as a client user computer in a server-clientuser network environment, or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer(or distributed) network environment. The computer system 700 may alsobe implemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a laptopcomputer, a desktop computer, a communications device, a wirelesstelephone, a land-line telephone, a control system, a web appliance, orany other machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequentialor otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. In aparticular embodiment, the computer system 700 may be implemented usingelectronic devices that provide video, audio, or data communication.Further, while a single computer system 700 is illustrated, the term“system” shall also be taken to include any collection of systems orsub-systems that individually or jointly execute a set, or multiplesets, of instructions to perform one or more computer functions.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the computer system 700 may include aprocessor 702, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), or both. Moreover, the computer system 700 mayinclude a main memory 704 and a static memory 706, which can communicatewith each other via a bus 708. As shown, the computer system 700 mayfurther include a video display unit 710, such as a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), a projection television system, a flat panel display, ora solid state display. Additionally, the computer system 700 may includean input device 712, such as a keyboard, and a cursor control device714, such as a mouse. The computer system 700 may also include a diskdrive unit 716, a signal generation device 718, such as a speaker orremote control, and one or more network interface devices 720 capable ofcommunicating with network 726. Some computer systems 700 may notinclude an input device (e.g., a server may not include an inputdevice).

In a particular embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 7, the disk drive unit716 may include a computer-readable storage medium 722 in which one ormore sets of instructions 724, e.g. software, can be embedded. Further,the instructions 724 may embody one or more of the methods or logic asdescribed herein. In a particular embodiment, the instructions 724 mayreside completely, or at least partially, within the main memory 724,the static memory 706, and/or within the processor 702 during executionby the computer system 700. The main memory 704 and the processor 702also may include computer-readable media.

In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations, suchas application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arraysand other hardware devices, may be constructed to implement one or moreof the methods described herein. Applications that may include theapparatus and systems of various embodiments may broadly include avariety of electronic and computer systems. One or more embodimentsdescribed herein may implement functions using two or more specificinterconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and datasignals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or asportions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, thepresent system encompasses software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein may be implemented by software programsexecutable by a computer system. Further, in an exemplary, non-limitedembodiment, implementations may include distributed processing,component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing.Alternatively, virtual computer system processing may be constructed toimplement one or more of the methods or functionality as describedherein.

The present disclosure contemplates a computer-readable storage mediumthat stores content modification computer code 734. While thecomputer-readable storage medium is shown to be a single medium, theterm “computer-readable medium” includes a single medium or multiplemedia, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associatedcaches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also include any medium that is capableof storing or encoding a set of instructions for execution by aprocessor or that cause a computer system to perform any one or more ofthe methods or operations disclosed herein.

In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, thecomputer-readable storage medium may include a solid-state memory suchas a memory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatileread-only memories. Further, the computer-readable storage medium may bea random access memory or other volatile re-writable memory.Additionally, the computer-readable storage medium may include amagneto-optical or optical medium, such as a disk or tapes or otherstorage device. A digital file attachment to an e-mail or otherself-contained information archive or set of archives may be consideredequivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the disclosure isconsidered to include any one or more of a computer-readable storagemedium and other equivalents and successor media, in which data orinstructions may be stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsthat may be implemented in particular embodiments with reference toparticular standards and protocols, the disclosed embodiments are notlimited to such standards and protocols. For example, standards forInternet and other packet switched network transmission representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodicallysuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocolshaving the same or similar functions as those disclosed herein areconsidered equivalents thereof.

The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of the variousembodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a completedescription of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systemsthat utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many otherembodiments may be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewingthe disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from thedisclosure, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.Accordingly, the disclosure and the figures are to be regarded asillustrative rather than restrictive.

One or more embodiments of the disclosure may be referred to herein,individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely forconvenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of thisapplication to any particular invention or inventive concept. Moreover,although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any subsequent arrangementdesigned to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted forthe specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover anyand all subsequent adaptations or variations of various embodiments.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, variousfeatures may be grouped together or described in a single embodiment forthe purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to beinterpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodimentsrequire more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter may bedirected to less than all of the features of any of the disclosedembodiments. Thus, the following claims are incorporated into theDetailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as definingseparately claimed subject matter.

The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall withinthe scope of the present invention. Thus, to the maximum extent allowedby law, the scope of the present invention is to be determined by thebroadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and theirequivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoingdetailed description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a processing systemincluding a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructionsthat, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance ofoperations comprising: receiving, from an electronic device having acalendar program, an availability time window for a user; determining aplayback time limit from the availability time window for the user;receiving a first content item from a first content source; filteringthe first content item to generate a modified content item having areduced playback duration less than or equal to the playback time limit;and initiating transmission of the modified content item to theelectronic device.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the filteringcomprises truncating the first content item, reordering the firstcontent item, compressing the first content item, decompressing thefirst content item, prioritizing the first content item, altering a dataformat of the first content item, or a combination thereof.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving asecond content item from a second content source; and combining thesecond content item into the modified content item.
 4. The system ofclaim 3, wherein the first content item includes traffic information andthe second content item includes information related to an email accountassociated with the user.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the firstcontent item is modified to generate the modified content item based ona first user preference associated with the first content source.
 6. Thesystem of claim 5, wherein the first user preference indicates a firstdelivery format.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the first contentitem includes video content and the modified content item includes audiocontent, and wherein the first delivery format corresponds to an audioformat.
 8. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprisingexecutable instructions that, when executed by a processing systemincluding a processor, facilitate performance of operations, theoperations comprising: receiving, from an electronic device having acalendar program, an availability time window for a user; determining aplayback time limit from the availability time window for the user;receiving a first content item from a first content source; filteringthe first content item to generate a modified content item having areduced playback duration less than or equal to the playback time limit;and initiating transmission of the modified content item to theelectronic device.
 9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium ofclaim 8, wherein the filtering comprises truncating the first contentitem, reordering the first content item, compressing the first contentitem, decompressing the first content item, prioritizing the firstcontent item, altering a data format of the first content item, or acombination thereof.
 10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium ofclaim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a secondcontent item from a second content source; and combining the secondcontent item into the modified content item.
 11. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first content itemincludes traffic information and the second content item includesinformation related to an email account associated with the user. 12.The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the firstcontent item is modified to generate the modified content item based ona first user preference associated with the first content source. 13.The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein thefirst user preference indicates a first delivery format.
 14. Thenon-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the firstcontent item includes video content and the modified content itemincludes audio content, and wherein the first delivery formatcorresponds to an audio format.
 15. A method comprising: receiving by aprocessing system including a processor, from an electronic devicehaving a calendar program, an availability time window for a user;determining, by the processing system, a playback time limit from theavailability time window for the user; receiving, by the processingsystem, a first content item from a first content source; filtering, bythe processing system, the first content item to generate a modifiedcontent item having a reduced playback duration less than or equal tothe playback time limit; and initiating, by the processing system,transmission of the modified content item to the electronic device. 16.The method of claim 15, wherein the filtering comprises truncating thefirst content item, reordering the first content item, compressing thefirst content item, decompressing the first content item, prioritizingthe first content item, altering a data format of the first contentitem, or a combination thereof.
 17. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising: receiving, by the processing system, a second content itemfrom a second content source; and combining, by the processing system,the second content item into the modified content item.
 18. The methodof claim 17, wherein the first content item includes traffic informationand the second content item includes information related to an emailaccount associated with the user.
 19. The method of claim 15, whereinthe first content item is modified to generate the modified content itembased on a first user preference associated with the first contentsource.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first content itemincludes video content and the modified content item includes audiocontent.